Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat of the House Intelligence Committee, believes President Trump discusses Democrats’ interest in impeaching him as a “mobilizer for his base.”
During an interview, Wall Street Journal Washington bureau chief Gerald Seib asked Schiff what his advice was to Democrats running in the 2018 midterms and if he recommended discussing impeachment.
“My counsel is don’t take the bait,” the California Democrat said. “There is a reason why Donald Trump is the foremost champion of his own impeachment. He talks about it, I think, more than anybody else.”
“He would like to use impeachment as a mobilizer for his base,” Schiff added. “He would like to suggest that Democrats aren’t interested in governing: ‘They are only interested in getting rid of me.’”
.@GeraldFSeib asks about impeachment: “What’s your counsel to democrats running this year? Should they be talking about the ‘I’ word or not?”
.@RepAdamSchiff “My counsel is don’t take the bait.”
Watch full #Newsmakers here: https://t.co/eMf22yPnlt pic.twitter.com/hP9jfgVeWp
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 18, 2018
Instead, Schiff recommended Democrats focus on issues that impact people directly, like providing for their families or having a chance at achieving the American dream.
“Democrats need to continue our focus on what matters most to people.” Schiff said.
Some Democrats, like Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., have taken a different approach than Schiff and repeatedly urged for Trump to be impeached. Waters has called for impeachment for a variety of reasons, including Trump’s choice to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal earlier this month.
